Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a vehicle.
Related Art
Several techniques have been proposed for detecting information about targets around a vehicle (referred to as target information) and performing automatic driving control of the vehicle based on the target information.
For example, in a technique as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-198458, a target travel trajectory is set based on predetermined lateral positions in a traveled lane that is a lane in which the own vehicle is traveling, and automatic steering control of the own vehicle is performed based on the target travel trajectory. If changes in lateral deviation from the target travel trajectory of the own vehicle, in steering angle, and in steering torque are continuously small for a predetermined time or longer, the current lateral position of the own vehicle in the traveled lane is estimated as a demanded travel trajectory, and based on the demanded travel trajectory, the target travel trajectory is corrected.
If a steering maneuver is performed by a driver of the own vehicle during the automatic steering control of the own vehicle, vehicle progress reflecting the steering maneuver is desirable. The steering maneuver nevertheless performed during the automatic steering control of the own vehicle may be caused by a maneuver tendency of the driver due to a driver's driving disposition or habit. The driver having such a maneuver tendency is likely to perform a similar maneuver in similar driving situations. However, no existing automatic steering control techniques take into account the maneuver tendency of the driver. Every driver having a maneuver tendency is forced to perform a similar maneuver in similar driving situations. There is, therefore, room for improvement.
In consideration of the foregoing, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are directed to providing an apparatus for automatically controlling driving of an own vehicle in a proper manner taking into account a driver's driving maneuver tendency.